Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a biological fluid collection device, specifically a blood collection device for collecting a small sample of blood and dispensing a portion of the sample into a device intended or designed to analyze the sample such as point-of-care or a near-patient-testing device.
Description of Related Art
A need exists for an improved device which enables collection of a micro-sample, such as less than 500 microliters of collected sample for analysis, such as patient point-of-care applications. Current devices require conventional sample collection and the subsequent use of a 1 ml syringe or pipette to transfer a small blood sample to a point-of-care cartridge or instrument receiving port. This open system approach results in an increased blood exposure risk for personnel performing the testing, as well as the collection of excess specimen required for a specified test procedure.
It is therefore desirable to have a blood sample collection and dispensing tool for point-of-care applications which incorporates conventional automatic blood draw and includes a novel controlled sample dispensing capability while minimizing exposure risk.